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The Colts have only one unsigned pick -- third-round linebacker Freddie Keiaho. And because the rookie pool increased by only five percent over 2005 while the rookie minimum salaries jumped by $45,000, the Colts apparently don't have enough room left on their rookie pool to give Keiaho the kind of deal his agent wants.

Colts G.M. Bill Polian has publicly blamed the system for the resulting impasse.

"This is a completely non-functional rookie system in this new Collective Bargaining Agreement. It has forced clubs to do things they never, ever would have done under the old system," Polian said.

"I can't imagine how it was constructed -- certainly not with the input of any football people. It's a problem which we understand. I'm not sure if we can solve it or not. We're going to work on that [Sunday night]. We've had communication and it continues.

"But the structure that [Keiaho's agent] wants is impossible under this system. I understand why he wants it and he's got every reason to ask for it, but it's impossible to do.

"It's the fault of the system. Not us or the agent."

We're not so sure we agree with Polian. Sure, the system is messed up. But it's the responsibility of every team to hold back enough pool space to permit every deal to be signed, especially as to the day one picks.

And it's also the responsibility of the agents to get the deals done, especially with the rookie pool triggering a game of musical chairs this year as to the remaining rookie pool money.

But regardless of how they got to this point, we agree with Polian's basic assessment -- with every other draft pick signed, a finite amount of rookie pool money remaining, and the 25-percent rule that limits the extent to which the deal can grow in each subsequent season, the Colts and Keiaho don't have many options.

They can do a deal based on the remaining rookie pool room. Or Keiaho can sign the one-year tender for $275,000. Or he can sit out the year and re-enter the draft.

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Follow up to his complaint

STRONG REACTION TO POLIAN COMPLAINTS

League insiders and readers alike have offered up some strong reactions to the recent comments of Colts president Bill Polian regarding the CBA tweaks that have made it harder for teams to sign their full load of draft picks.

On Sunday, Polian said that "[t]his is a completely non-functional rookie system in this new Collective Bargaining Agreement," and that "t has forced clubs to do things they never, ever would have done under the old system."

On Monday, a league source said that Polian has one person to blame -- himself.

"Everyone knew the rules of the new CBA and the challenges it presented," said the source. "We all had to get creative and everyone has, except for him. And now it's someone else's fault? Are you kidding me?"

And as several readers reminded us, Polian benefited from the system in 2002 after the Eagles were forced, due to the rookie pool, to relinquish the rights to defensive end Raheem Brock, a seventh-round draft choice. The Colts jumped on Brock via the waiver system, and Brock has since become a starting defensive end in Indy.